Thursday, April 9, 2015

10 Steps For A Successful Lucid Dream

Lucid dreaming is one of the most extraordinary experiences you could
have as a human being. Being awake within a dream, you are able to
consciously interact with it just as you interact in the real world.
Everything is saturated with colour and vibrantly alive, and it feels
far more real than waking life does.

There are many practical benefits to lucid dreaming. For me
personally, it reminded be of how much life is like a dream and helped
me appreciate the impermanence of reality. It helped me cultivate more
consciousness and awareness in waking life by reminding me that I don’t
have to be a victim to my surroundings, and can instead become lucid and
take control. It also led to both of my out-of-body experiences.

Lucid dreaming can propel you into a higher understanding of yourself
and the reality you live in during your waking life. On top of being
exhilarating and fun, it’s also a very useful catalyst for spiritual
expansion.

Here are 10 steps for having a successful lucid dream:

1) Dream Diaries

Spending at least 10 minutes in putting down and recording your
dreams in the morning. Even if you wake up in the middle of the night,
try to remember and write down what happened. This trains your brain to
become used to retaining memories while you are dreaming and to bring
awareness into the dream state.

2) Reality Checks

Performing as many as 10 or more reality checks during the day, and
these should be spaced out during the day. Does your reflection look
normal in the mirror? Do the palms of your hands look normal close-up?
How long do you stay in the air when you jump? Perhaps even make a
marking on your hand and look at it throughout the day, and in your
dream you will notice it missing. When you notice it is no longer
there, you will realize you are dreaming.

3) Manifest

Spending up to 20 minutes in the afternoon to incubate a lucid dream.
The techniques to use here include meditation, self hypnosis, and
visualization of what you wish to experience in your dream. This is
also helpful to do right before bed. KNOW that you will lucid dream,
and be thankful that you have already manifest a lucid dream.

4) Affirmation

Before you go to bed at night, repeat this to yourself: “I will
remember to recognize that I’m dreaming”. Fall asleep repeating this in
your head, and this awareness will subconsciously carry into your
dreams. Know that in your dream, you will remember that you are
dreaming. Remove all doubt. Affirmation is important.

5) Identifying Your Dream Signs

You may also have that nasty experience of always running out of fuel
whenever you are on your way to write a final exam. Again, it may be
that you always have that horrible experience of your teeth falling off
from your mouth. The best and most reliable way of determining your
personal dream signs is by keeping a dream journal. Whenever you check
it, you can easily identify those dream signs that are regularly
occurring. When your future dreams contain them, you will realize it’s
just a dream sign.

6) Imagination Of Desired Dream

Imagine yourself being back to a previous dream. But this time, you
have to re-live the ending differently. Visualize the scene in the dream
in such a way that the details are clearer than what is obtainable in
the previous dream. Next, search for the dream signs. Of course, this
should be some unusual characters, locations and objects which should
reveal the dream to be mere fantasy; something you wouldn’t see in real
life.Next, start telling yourself that you are dreaming. Although you are
just day dreaming (and this is by no means a lucid dream) continue to
experience an imagined lucid dream fantasy. Do whatever you would do if
this were a real lucid dream.

7) Wake Up At Night

Research has shown that waking up during sleep can increase one’s
chance of being lucid. So, in order to have more lucid dreams, you may
want to wake yourself up in the night and bring yourself to full
consciousness for a few minutes. You can spend those few minutes in
reading about lucid dreams, meditating, visualizing, etc. Maybe even
set an alarm for 3 or 4 am.

8) Direct Your Half-Asleep State

At times, you may wake up in the middle of the night and found
yourself in this dreamy state. If this occurs, there is no need for you
panic for your body and mind are already relaxed. Just drift into the
dream world and of course, this can easily be accomplished without the
least effort.

9) Snap Out Of The Dream. Fully Step Into Lucidity.

his step involves stepping into the lucid world and this means
submerging your awareness fully into the lucid dream as well as
stabilizing the dream to eradicate any chance of waking up. Stay calm,
don’t get over excited and wake yourself up. Realize that you are
dreaming, and keep your attention concentrated in the present moment
within your lucid dream.

10) Have fun

It’s a wonderful experience to have, and there is nothing anyone or
anything can do in a lucid dream to harm you. If you find yourself
scared when you become lucid, know that you are always being guided and
protected, and that you can wake yourself up at any time you wish. Talk
with people, manipulate your surroundings, try to leave your body,
appreciate the vividness of the world around you.

It’s important to remember that there is nothing to fear in a lucid
dream. Some figures you encounter may scare you, but remember that
everything you encounter is a reflection of some aspect of yourself.
Love them and forgive them, and know that when you do so you are loving
and forgiving a shadow aspect of you.

Lucid dreaming is not just for fun however. It can also be used as a
spiritual practice for self-healing and personal growth. Here is an
awesome TED talk video about nightmares and lucid dreaming as a medium
for spiritual development:
Happy dreaming!